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Shadowclan's Dilemma
Prologue Willowwhisper smiled as her 3 kits, Littlekit, Frostkit, and Swiftkit, pranced around her and Mistfur. "Now, little ones," she said gently, "You know not to bother Mistfur while she's sleeping." "But Willowwhisper!" Littlekit whined, "We're not bothering her!" "It's fine, Willowwhisper." The old nursery queen said, "I can deal with them." Frostkit and Swiftkit pounced on her while Littlekit nibbled her tail. "Oh, but Mistfur, your kits have just finished playing! You need the rest, your getting-" Willowwhisper stopped herself before the last word could come out. "Old?" Mistfur asked, "Well, I have to agree with you. My bones can't take much more of this. I'll be retiring to the elders den soon." she sighed. Willowwhisper's kits looked at Mistfur sadly. They all knew that Mistfur was old, but it was hard to see her leave. Mistfur's kits would be leaving for the apprentice den soon, and after that they would be the only cats in the nursery. "Its time to take a nap sweet kits." Willowwhisper said quietly. Surprisingly, her kits obeyed without a word. As they settled down into the fresh moss, Willowwhisper heard a rustling sound, very faint but different from anything she had ever heard before. She stood up and went outside of the den to find out what it was. At first, all Willowwhisper saw was her clanmates, all sharing tongues and eating. But when she looked closer, she could see misty shadows weaving around the cats. Suddenly, the shadows disappeared. All cats stopped talking. They turned around and looked at her, and started whispering in unison. Their eyes were glowing red. Willowwhisper backed up, and the whispering got louder. kill the traitor. Kill the traitor it said. She ran back to the nursery to protect her kits, and found the rest of her clanmates following her. The whispering had grown to a loud yell. She backed up against the nursery wall, her kits cowering in fear behind her, and watched in terror as the cats closed in on her. Chapter 1 Comfrey's low, out of marigold, catmint's low, Tansy's out Redfeather thought to herself with dismay. So many herbs were running out, and it was hard to replenish them. The hot weather had killed many herbs, and with the recent battle between Thunderclan and Shadowclan, many cats needed treating. Too bad I don't have an apprentice to help me. ''She thought. ''All kits seem to want to do these days is fight! ''One kit, a few seasons ago, had seemed interested in being her apprentice, but she had died of greencough. "Redfeather!" Hawkwatcher called, interrupting her thoughts. "What is it?" she asked. Hawkwatcher came into view, panting as if he'd been running. "We got attacked by two foxes! Squirrelstar is injured! She won't stop bleeding!" He said frantically. Redfeather immediately ran outside of her den, and saw Squirrelstar being carried into camp by Eaglegaze and Tigerstripe. They were covered in blood, by the looks of it some of it was theirs while the rest was Squirrelstar's. "My den, NOW!" Redfeather yelled. The two warriors rushed to her den and gently put the bright orange she-cat down on some moss. She was bleeding heavily from multiple deep gashes on her underbelly. Redfeather immediately plastered cobwebs on the wounds, but the blood kept coming. Running back to get more cobwebs, she realized that she was out. ''Jayfeather would've known what to do! She thought in dismay. Jayfeather, her mentor, passed away last Leaf-bare, leaving her with the duties of a medicine cat. Running back to Squirrelstar, she saw that she was too late. Blood spilling out of her mouth, Squirrelstar spoke. "Don't worry. Bramblestar is waiting for me in-" she didn't finish. Her flank stopped moving, and Redfeather dipped her head in respect. Their leader's ninth life was gone, and now Rainymist would have to take over. Closing Squirrelstar's eyes with one claw, Redfeather made a vow that she would never let her sister suffer the same fate as leader. Chapter 2 Ears pricked, Rainymist silently walked through the forest. All of her senses were alert for prey, and when the scream came she was anything but ready. The long, dreadful wail sailed through the forest, hitting her ears like a fox's bark. She immediately forgot about the hunt. I have to get back to camp, maybe someone's hurt! Rainymist started sprinting as fast as she could. She heard the wail get louder, with more voices. She burst into camp, alert and ready to fight. But what she saw was anything but a battle. Cats crowded around a body, each of them wailing in grief. What happened? ''Rainymist thought. She got a closer look at the body laying on the ground. It was Squirrelstar! "No no no no no no" she muttered. Squirrelstar may have been old, but this couldn't have been her time! "Leave her be. We will sit vigil for her tonight." Redfeather said softly. "You must receive your nine lives." "How could you let her die!" Rainymist yelled. "You were supposed to save her! Its your job!" tears streamed down her face. Not only was Squirrelstar her leader, she was her mentor and best friend. "I couldn't have done anything to save her. It was her destiny." Redfeather said softly. "You have to understand." Rainymist nodded and began to calm down. Squirrelstar was old, and often complained of joint pain. She would have lived a miserable life had she lived to be any older. "I must tell everyone that I will receive my nine lives." Rainymist said. Jumping onto highrock, she addressed the clan. "Cats of Thunderclan. Today, we suffered the loss of a great leader." A few cats shook with sadness at that comment, others dipped their heads in respect. "But we will live on as a great clan. As deputy of Thunderclan, I must go to the moonpool to receive my nine lives. Redfeather will accompany me, and I will sit vigil for Squirrelstar tonight. I hope Starclan will see me as a great leader for my clan and grant us blessings for the future." She jumped down and beckoned for Redfeather to come. "Farewell clanmates. When I return, hopefully I will be known as Rainystar." "Lets go." Redfeather said. They began their journey to the moonpool. Chapter 3 Rainymist felt the cool rocks underneath her paws as she walked up the path to the moonpool. The whispers of ancient cats ringed in her ears. When the first glimmer of the moonpool appeared, she nearly froze. Rainymist had never been to the moonpool, and this sight was dazzling. It was as if the moon was in the water itself. Redfeather lapped up some of the water, and lay down beside the pool to sleep. Rainymist did the same. She soon felt herself being pulled into dreams. Standing up, Rainymist saw that it was nighttime. The cold rocks beneath her paws were barely seeable. Redfeather stood beside her. The sisters watched as figures came towards them. They looked just like normal cats, but their fur glistened with starshine. "Greetings Rainymist." The cats said in unison. A large, orange tom came up to her. Rainymist gasped. "Firestar!" she said in surprise. "I see you know who I am." He said. Rainymist dipped her head in respect. "There is no need for that, young one. We are equals here." Firestar said. Rainymist raised her head. The tom touched his nose to the top of her head. "With this life I give you courage. Use it well and share it with your clanmates." A wave of pain shot through Rainymist, but it made her feel as strong as ever. A white and ginger she cat came up to her as Firestar stepped back. "Greetings, Brightheart." Rainymist said. Brightheart was an elder that died when she was an apprentice. "Greetings." Brightheart said. "With this life I give you perserverence. Use it well, and know when to never give up." Rainymist felt a ripple go through her, and she felt that she could keep trying forever. Brightheart stepped back, and a small kit came forward. "I don't recognize you, kit." Rainymist said in confusion. "My name is Littlekit, and you will know who I am in time. With this life I give you humor. Always have the strength to laugh in the darkest of times. Never only see the dark side of things." He touched his nose to hers and something came through Rainymist that made her want to giggle uncontrollably. He ran back to the rest of the cats and batted at Firestar's tail. A strong, golden male came forward. "I am Lionblaze." Rainymist looked in surprise. She had heard the stories that the elders told, but never imagined that they were real. This tom looked strong enough to carry a boulder on his back. "Indeed the stories are true." he said, seeming to read her mind. "With this life I give you strength in battle. I hope you will use it to protect your clanmates even if you have to die nine times." Rainymist expected this to be pleasureful, but the shock that came through her almost knocked her down. Lionblaze stepped back, and a light gray tom stepped forward. Rainymist saw her sister shiver with excitement. "Jayfeather." Rainymist said without affection. Jayfeather always was mean to her when she was younger. "I know you think of me as heartless." The tom said. "And I am sorry for how I have made you feel. I was old and frustrated with losing my powers. If you would forgive me, I would like to give you a life." Rainymist began to feel sorry for the tom. He was blind, and he had to go through losing a special gift that he couldn't learn to live without. "I forgive you." she said. Jayfeather looked relieved and touched his nose to her head. "With this life I give you healing." he said. "Though you may not know the herbs and methods of a medicine cat, words can heal the mind better than medicines." Rainymist felt a tingling sensation with this life, but nothing too major. Jayfeather stepped back and a tabby gray she-cat came forward. "I am Brindleface. You may not know who I am, but I was killed by Tigerstar. Before that, though, I was a queen and loved all kits. With this life I give you the protection of a mother to her kits. Treat your clanmates like you would your own kit." She touched her nose to Rainymist, and the pain that followed was unbearable. Rainymist shook uncontrollably and gritted her teeth, but it was soon over. Brindleface backed up. A black she-cat came forward. "Hello, Rainymist. I am Hollyleaf." The she-cat said. Rainymist knew who Hollyleaf was from the elders' stories, and had begun to respect her more than the average warrior. "For a while, I didn't trust my clanmates to accept me, and thought that I would be driven out if they saw me. Don't make the same mistake as I did. With this life I give you the ability to know who to trust. You should always trust your clanmates." Hollyleaf touched her nose to Rainymist's head, and Rainymist felt as wise as the old Badger Midnight. "I am Ashfur." a gray tom with dark spots came up to her. "You may know me as evil, but I am not. I loved one of my clanmates too much, and when she chose another tom as her mate I could never forgive her. Hollyleaf killed me, but I have learned to forgive her as well as Squirrelstar. With this life I give you forgiveness. Use it so that you will never hold a grudge against a clanmate for too long." this life caused a cold feeling of hatred to develop inside of Rainymist, but it soon turned to pleasure. As Ashfur stepped back, a familiar orange cat came forward. "Squirrelstar!" Rainymist cried, and ran over to the cat. "Hello, Rainymist." Squirrelstar said gently. "I have always trusted that you would become a great deputy to me and then a great leader to the clan, even from the time that you became my apprentice. With this life I give you mentoring, so that you know how to treat a young and curious cat." as Squirrelstar stepped back, Rainymist began to feel wisdom pouring into her. She smiled as her former leader began talking. "I hail you by your new name, Rainystar. Your old life is no more. You have now received the nine lives of a leader, and StarClan grants you the guardianship of ThunderClan.'' Defend it well; care for young and old; honor your ancestors and the traditions of the warrior code; live each life with pride and dignity." Rainystar stood tall with pride, and cats of Starclan began chanting her name. One by one, they began to leave. Within seconds, the only cat left was Squirrelstar. "Come with me." she said. "Whats going on?" Rainystar asked, as the stars began to disappear before her. "A storm is coming. And though it brings only a breeze, it will be violent and persistent enough to wipe out an entire forest." Squirrelstar said in a hollow tone. "What does that mean? Where are you going? Whats happening?" Rainystar said, but it was too late. Squirrelstar was gone and she was waking up. Chapter 4 Redfeather woke up to see her sister still sleeping. She must be receiving a prophecy or spending time with Squirrelstar. ''She thought. Leader ceremonies weren't supposed to take this long. Rainystar began twitching, then woke up with a start. "What's wrong, Rainystar?" She asked. "I received a prophecy from Squirrelstar." she said, looking worried. "What was it?" Redfeather asked. "A storm is coming. And though it brings only a breeze, it will be violent and persistent enough to wipe out an entire forest." Rainystar said. Redfeather thought about it for a long moment. She was born when Bramblestar was leader, though he died when she was a kit. He often told stories about a big storm that flooded the forest. ''Could this be the same thing? ''She wondered. Bramblestar never mentioned strong winds. "I'll think about it later. For now we just need to get back to camp and tell everyone that you have received your nine lives." And so they did. Chapter 5 "I want Hawkwatcher, Tigerstripe, Petalwing, Berrypaw, Icefur, Bumblepaw, Flameheart, and Sunstripe to come with me to the gathering." Redfeather listened as her leader prepared the clan. It was a moon since the ominous prophecy had been foretold, and Rainystar had decided that it was best that they would just be prepared. As Flameheart was called, Redfeather noticed his usually amber eyes glowing a reddish color. She would have to examine it after the gathering, he could be sick. Jayfeather had told her that cat's eyes could do weird things when they were ill. When Brightheart's kits had died their eyes were becoming very dull, instead of their usual blue color. "Hey, Redfeather, are you coming to the gathering or are you just going to sit there looking into my eyes like a lovesick dove?" Flameheart yelled to her, interrupting her thoughts. A few clanmates giggled, and she heard one of the apprentices whisper, "Somebody's got a crush" in a mocking tone. The elders, however, just shook their heads and mumbled something about Leafpool. "No no no, its not that!" she said, feeling her paws sweating in embarrassment. Now the clan had suspicions about her! "Your eyes!" she blurted out, "Their bright red!" Flameheart looked around frantically, as if a big secret had been revealed, then his eyes returned to a normal color. Redfeather thought she could almost see a shadow escaping him. ''Its night, the darkness must be just playing tricks on me. She thought. "What happened? Did I black out?" Flameheart said, confused. "I don't remember anything about today." "My den, NOW!" Redfeather said. "Rainystar, go to the gathering without me. I need to figure out whats wrong with Flameheart." "Alright, send one of the apprentices if anything goes wrong." Rainystar said. "I will." replied Redfeather. She hurriedly took Flameheart to her den and began asking him questions. "What's the last thing you remember doing?" she questioned. "Well, I guess falling to sleep in my nest last night." Flameheart said. "Did you hit your head on anything? Does your head hurt right now?" Redfeather asked. "No, and no." he said. "It was just a normal day. There was nothing to hit my head on in my nest." he continued. "Do you feel sick or weird at all?" Redfeather asked. "No, I feel perfectly fine! Now can I please go?" Flameheart whined. Redfeather thought for a moment, and then something dawned on her. "Flameheart, do you by any chance remember the dream you had last night?" she asked. The tom thought for a moment. "Kind of." he said, "but only parts of it. I was in... I don't know, some place. It was unrecognizable. Almost like a forest frozen in Leaf-bare. It was so dark, though, I couldn't really tell. I remember shadows moving around me. Cats whispering, but I couldn't tell what they were saying. Then all of the sudden I woke up starting to leave camp for a gathering!" Redfeather thought for a moment. Could this have to do with the prophecy? This could've represented a breeze, not too bad for one cat, but if it began to happen to more cats, Starclan knows what could happen! "You are free to go. I have to think about this." she padded off to the corner of her den and Flameheart left. What could this mean? Doom for the clans may not be too far away! Chapter 6 Rainystar padded across the fallen tree leading to the gathering island, her clanmates following. She jumped onto her branch of the tree where the leaders sit to talk to the clans. The moon shone brightly, and Riverclan welcomed her. "Greetings, Rainystar." The leader of Riverclan, Minnowstar, said. Minnowstar was a small, pale ginger she-cat. Despite her size, she was fierce in battle and a great swimmer. "Greetings, Minnowstar." Rainystar replied. It was nice to finally be able to talk to the other leaders. Ever since Bramblestar added the new rule to the Warrior Code, the clans had become much closer. "I see Windclan is approaching." "Hello, Minnowstar! Rainystar!" Nightstar said. He was a funny tom, always cheerful. His black pelt was speckled with white spots, like stars. "Sorry we are late, where is Shadowclan?" ''Odd. ''Rainystar thought. ''Shadowclan is usually the second one here, after Riverclan. ''But Shadowclan was nowhere to be found. "I suggest we give them 5 minutes to arrive, and then we start the gathering." Minnowstar suggested. "Badgerstar should be here soon." But Shadowclan didn't come. "I guess we'll have to start without Shadowclan." Nightstar said. Immediately a violent wind came through the island. Dark clouds covered the moon and thunder rumbled ominously. "Starclan has spoken. We must not have a gathering tonight." Minnowstar said sadly. "Wait!" Rainystar yelled as the other leaders started to leave. "I need to talk to all of you." The other leaders looked back at Rainystar. "What do you need to say?" Nightstar asked. "Starclan gave me a prophecy, and I think that Shadowclan's absence has something to do with it." Rainystar said. Nightstar and Minnowstar gasped. "I received a prophecy as well." Minnowstar said. "So did I!" Nightstar said in amazement. "We need to talk with our clans." "Not yet. There may be members in our clans we can not trust." Rainystar said. "Are you accusing my clan of something, Rainystar?" Minnowstar growled. "Of course not!" Rainystar replied, "I just mean there could be spies. One of my clanmates had glowing red eyes as we were leaving for the gathering. My medicine cat pointed it out and his eyes returned to normal. He couldn't remember anything about today." "And what do you think it means?" Nightstar asked in awe. "I don't know." Rainystar replied. "But I think something may have taken control of his body." "Sounds like a pawful of fox dung." Minnowstar said, "But it could be reasonable if you think about it." she added thoughtfully. "I agree, we should talk about this without our clanmates around at first. When do you suppose we meet up?" "How about now?" Nightstar suggested. "Our deputies could lead our clans back." "Great idea!" Rainystar exclaimed. Minnowstar nodded in agreement. "Hawkwatcher, you lead the clan back." Rainystar yelled. The other leaders told their deputies to lead the clans as well.